Insight into Historical Emergence of Kv Channel-interacting Proteins (KCNIPs) Gene Family

Abstract

The macro evolutionary events lead to anatomical complexity achieved by higher vertebrates. The extensive gene duplications result in widespread existence of gene families in modern vertebrates. Kv channel-interacting proteins are encoded by the KCNIP gene in humans. The gene encodes a member of the family of voltage-gated potassium (K_v) channel-interacting proteins. The paralogues (KCNIP1, KCNIP2, KCNIP3 and KCNIP4) of KCNIP gene family served as small calcium binding proteins. K+ channels act as primary subunits that contribute to transient, voltage-dependent K+ currents in the nervous system and heart. They regulate channel density, inactivation kinetics and also function as transcriptional repressors. The colossal amount of diversified protein dataset for a wide variety of vertebrates, invertebrates was used to derive mode of evolution and conservation of functionally significant diverse gene family residing on human chromosomes.The phylogenetic analysis of KCNIP gene family revealed that three vertebrate specific duplications occur before the split of fish-tetrapods. Fishes split into “a” and “b” in-paralogs by lineage specific duplications in KCNIP1 and KCNIP3. Phylogenetic tree reflects that KCNIP carries small scale duplications which occur at different time points during chordate evolution. The analysis assists the evolutionary biologists to understand the historical emergence of Kv channel-interacting proteins and their evolutionary relationship with different species.

Keywords: EF-hand-like domains, transcriptional repressors, lineage specific duplications

Cite this Article

Muhammad Waqas Khokhar, Zunera Khalid. Insight into Historical Emergence of Kv Channel-interacting Proteins (KCNIPs) Gene Family. Research & Reviews: Journal of Computational Biology. 2016; 5(2):    1–6p.